What is Proposition 1?

Proposition 1 will preserve existing Fixed Route bus service levels and meet the existing and future growth for C-VAN for a period of about 10 years. It would provide for minimal capital improvements and replacement of vehicles after running them about 16 years.

Below is what voters will likely see on their ballots:

C-TRAN, Clark County Public Transportation Benefit Area Authority, in adopting Resolution # BR-11-004, authorizes a proposition to increase the sales and use tax by 0.2 percent, or two cents on a ten dollar purchase, to preserve C-TRAN local Fixed Route, commuter and Connector service; and to meet the current and projected growth for Paratransit service (C-VAN) in the City of Vancouver and its 2005 urban growth boundary, and the city limits only of Camas, Washougal, Battle Ground, La Center, Ridgefield, and the town of Yacolt.

How much does it cost?
The measure will add an additional 0.2% (two-tenths of one percent) to our sales tax, or two pennies on a ten dollar taxable purchase.  It is estimated this will cost the average median income earning family in Clark County less than $50 dollars a year (or less than the cost of ONE tank of gas)!


What will happen if it doesn’t pass?
35% of our bus service will be cut leaving many in our community without a way to get to the doctor, work or other appointments.

These service reductions would need to be implemented no later than late 2012/early 2013. A summary of the reductions include:
•    The elimination of twelve weekday routes;
•    The elimination of two Saturday routes;
•    The elimination of all Sunday, Holiday and Special Event service;
•    Weekday service span reduction from 4:45 a.m.-12:39 a.m. to 5:15 a.m.-10:15 p.m.;
•    Saturday service span reduction from 6:00 a.m.–12:38 a.m. to 6:00 a.m.–7:45 p.m.;
•    Reduction in commuter service.

For additional information on C-TRAN’s DRAFT Service Reduction Plan, please visit www.c-tran.com


What has C-TRAN done to tighten its belt before coming to the voters?

•    Since 2005, C-TRAN has increased passenger fares four times, with a fifth increase planned for this year.

•    Reduced service by 5.31 percent impacting underperforming service and the related Fixed Route Operator wages and benefits.

•    The 2011-2012 budget has 35 fewer positions than the 2009-2010 budget including 21 fewer Fixed Route Coach Operators, 2 fewer Paratransit Coach Operators, and 12 fewer non-service related positions.

•    Budgeted wage freeze for non-represented management and represented maintenance employees for 2010 and budgeted wage freeze for all employees through 2012. Union employees continue to receive steps.

•    Reduced expenses on routine consulting services, cancelled surveys and studies, and changed the approach to contract maintenance.

•    Limited training and travel only to maintain compliance of programs and politically important issues.

•    Minimized the capital program to include only state of good repair and investments in capital supplemented with grant funding.

•    Targeted investments in technology to increase organizational efficiency.


Why do we need this measure? Is this due to the economy or something else?

The need for an additional 0.2% sales tax is primarily due to a long term transit funding problem in Washington, but is exacerbated by population growth, a crummy economy, general inflation, and increased costs of providing ADA due to an aging population and new federal standards.

Until 2000, C-TRAN operated on the equivalent of roughly 0.6% of a percent.

In 2000, the State did away with the Motor Vehicle Excise Tax or MVET. Eliminating MVET eliminated a dollar-for-dollar match for transit agencies' collected sales tax.

The result was a reduction in funding of around 35% to C-TRAN. The lost revenue due to the elimination between 2000 and 2010 of the MVET is estimated to be $96M.

After an unsuccessful ballot measure in 2004 to increase the sales tax by 0.3% (the rough equivalent of the lost MVET revenue), C-TRAN reduced the service area and found additional efficiencies and passed a measure in 2005 to increase the sales and use tax by 0.2% for a total rate of 0.5% that would maintain that (reduced) level of service for five years. C-TRAN has continued to operate without asking for an additional sales tax increase for another year despite an $11Million (8%) shortage in the expected sales tax revenue collected.

Proposition 1 will add 0.2%, bringing the C-TRAN tax rate to a total tax rate to 0.7% - or 0.1% more than what was the stable funding level eleven years ago. That additional 0.1% need is due to general factors such as inflation and the crummy economy but also due to the increased ADA costs.

In response to the issues mentioned above, C-TRAN has spent down its cash reserves to preserve existing service levels.

Proposition 1 will simply preserve existing Fixed Route bus service levels and meet the existing and future growth for C-VAN for a period of about 10 years. It would provide for minimal capital improvements and replacement of vehicles after running them about 16 years.

Click here to see the full C-TRAN staff report to the board on this measure and their finances from the April 12th, 2011 meeting.

What about the C-TRAN measure we passed in 2005?

The Service Preservation Plan approved by voters in 2005 was to restore service to communities who lost it and preserve 2004 bus service levels for a period of up to five years. The plan called for additional revenue in the sixth year for C-TRAN to continue operations at those levels. The first two years of the plan had greater than expected sales tax revenue which lead to C-TRAN being able to exceed the voter approved five year Service Preservation Plan.

In late 2007 as C-TRAN implemented the largest service redesign in the agency's history, the economy started to decline. With strategic modifications to the Service Preservation Plan C-TRAN was able to stretch the plan into 2012 even with about 8 percent (or about $11 million) less sales tax revenue than projected (see cost saving measures above).

What about light rail and bus rapid transit?

This revenue generated from this measure will NOT be used for anything other than core bus preservation and C-VAN services. Voters will be presented with a separate measure in 2012 to fund light rail maintenance and operations and the capital and operations of bus rapid transit along the Fourth Plain Corridor.